A chance of a decent ref at last

The last Burnley game he refereed was almost a year ago, our last game of 2003 which was the 1-0 home defeat against Stoke. Unlike the Clarets that day Gallagher had a good game despite handing out four yellow cards and one red.

The red card went to Stoke’s Marcus Hall for a second bookable offence and the two yellow cards that came our way went to Dean West and Jay McEveley who was, as it turned out, making his last league appearance for the Clarets.

Dermot Gallagher is not a card happy referee and in eighteen games so far this season hasn’t managed five cards in any one game. He is averaging less than two yellow cards per game with just thirty-two whilst Derby keeper Lee Camp is the only player he has sent off, that coming in Derby’s 2-0 defeat at Wolves. That particular card kept Camp out of Derby’s visit to Burnley.

Fifteen of his yellow cards have gone the way of home players with seventeen going to away team players. Two of those away players to be booked are Gary Breen and Stephen Wright of Sunderland in a game they won 1-0 at Rotherham. It was a controversial goal that won it with the assistant failing to give a clear offside.

No matter how Gallagher performs on Saturday he is certain to be better than any of Ilderton, Probert and Leake.

He will be assisted by Glenn Turner (Derbyshire) and Barry Sygmuta (North Yorkshire).

Previous Burnley games: